


Kings

by kickherinthenuts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Delinquent, Humor, KageHina - Freeform, Kagehina Exchange, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-05-30 00:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6399952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kickherinthenuts/pseuds/kickherinthenuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kind of a delinquent AU/comedy in which the boys get drunk and act stupid (Seriously guys it’s really stupid.) Lots of KageHina... T+ obviously for drug and alcohol use. Also there's strong language and cat petting </p><p>Saeko entered the kitchen. She looked around the room and breathed deep. “Whelp. I’m gonna go to the bathroom and get ready.” She said. “And by ready I mean high.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Except for Tsuki. Fuck Tsuki.

Hinata absently twisted his earring.  _ I can’t believe I let them talk me into piercing my ears.  _ He was still getting used to the way they felt.

“Quit playing with them.” Said Suga. “They’ll heal soon and you’ll barely notice them anymore.”

“Hmph.” Hinata sighed. “I was thinking about getting some of those earrings that look like gauges. You just twist them on and they don’t poke into the side of your head.”

“Yeah, I could see you pulling those off.” Said Nishinoya before downing a nip of peppermint schnapps. Some of the boys had gathered out in the woods behind the gymnasium after practice. It all started when Azumane and Suguwara turned 18 and could buy alcohol. They’d hang out and drink, occasionally allowing some of the underclassmen to “try” it. 

That didn’t last long. Eventually drinking became a normal group activity during down time. Everyone was a little anxious tonight for the party at Tanaka’s house. Especially Hinata. Tanaka’s parents were away and Hinata’s mom thought they were having a supervised sleepover. Plus, some of his sister’s college friends were going to be there.

_ I can’t believe I lied. I’ve never lied to her.  _ Thought Hinata as a burning sensation traveled down his throat and into his chest 

Suga shook his head and looked at Hinata. “You take shots better than I do. I can’t believe we’ve corrupted you so much. I never thought in a million years you of all first years would want to come out with us tonight.” He giggled.

“I know. Little Shoyo-chan might be able to drink us all under the table.” Chuckled Azumane.

“Shut up. You’re not corrupting me. My parents drink and smoke in front of me all the time. I’ve stolen sips. It was only a matter of time.” Said Hinata bonking the empty plastic bottle against the back of his hand. “I’m not the only first year going. I’m pretty sure Tsukishima’s gonna be there too. He’s probably just not going to drink or anything.”

“Hmph. Or anything. His brother sells pot. I bet he’s a complete stoner.” Said Nishinoya.

“What?” Suga laughed. “No way, not him. Tsuki’s as straight edge as they come. He probably won’t even come tonight.”

Noya shrugged. “We’ll see. Either way, it’ll be interesting to actually hang out with some of the guys from the team. You know, see what they’re actually like outside of practice.” 

 

“Hey Tsuki!” Called Noya as the boys entered Tanaka’s kitchen. He gave a little smirk to Suga who was already arranging the glass contents of his messenger bag on the counter. 

“So most people are probably coming around 9? Do you know about how many there’ll be?”

“No idea.” Said Tanaka. He poured some of the beer from the counter into his cup. “I think some people from Nekoma might actually be coming too.”

Hinata shuffled over to Tsukishima who jumped when he suddenly realized Hinata was right behind to him. “Jeez Hinata, I didn’t even see you there.”

“Is Yamaguchi coming?” Hinata asked hesitantly. The shot he took was already making him feel warm and talkative.

“How should I know?” Tsuki shrugged. 

“I don’t know.” Hinata looked at his shoes. “The girls team is supposed to be coming too, right?”

“I guess. Should be interesting.” Said Tsuki.

Saeko entered the kitchen. She looked around the room and breathed deep. “Whelp. I’m gonna go to the bathroom and get ready.” She said. “And by ready I mean high.” She chuckled. “There’s an exhaust fan so we can smoke in there if we keep the door closed. Anyone want to join me?”

“I’m in!” Called a suddenly perky Tsukishima. Noya smirked over at Suga once more.

Hinata hesitated as everyone followed Saeko upstairs.  _ If I don’t go with them I’m just going to be awkwardly alone in Tanaka’s kitchen. Guess I can just hang out in there with them. Not like I have to do it.  _ He shrugged and followed the others.

Tanaka’s upstairs bathroom was big and doubled as a laundry room.  _ What do you do if you need to poop while your mum’s doing laundry?  _ Hinata chuckled.

“What?” Said a defensive-looking Tsukishima. “You didn’t know I smoke? ...Do you?”

“No, I’ve never tried it.” Hinata admitted. 

“Told you, we’re corrupting Shoyo-chan!” Said Azumane.  As he sat on the edge of the bathtub.

Hinata laughed. “Whatever. Everyone tries pot at least once. Might as well be now.” He could feel his ears getting red.

The strange smell began to permeate the air as Saeko blew smoke up into the fan. “Here.” she handed Hinata the pipe and lighter. “This is the carb.” She pointed to a hole on the side of the bowl. “You use it to clear the bowl when you’re taking a hit. Light while inhaling a bit and you can actually see the smoke going down into the bowl as you inhale. Then take your finger off the carb before you’re done.”

“Um…” Hinata took the foreign object and tried to master the concept of turning the lighter upside down without burning himself first. For his first few hits, everyone laughed at him as he kept pulling too hard and coughing.

“Here.” Tanaka handed Hinata his drink as he could see Hinata was clearly struggling.

“Thanks.” He choked out before sipping the bitter liquid. “Ack! This is nasty!” It was beer. “Tastes like piss!”

“Psh.” Tanaka waved his hand. “It’s an acquired taste. The more you drink, the better it tastes.”

Every time the pipe came around the circle to him, Hinata got a little better at it. He watched carefully as his friends smoked.

“You took to that like a duck to water man.” Chuckled Tsuki. “If only you applied that kind of determination to your school work.”

“Psh. Whatever. I’m acing PE at least.” Said Hinata.He felt good. It was like all of his nerves just washed away and he could say or do anything he felt like. He felt free. He didn’t notice Tanaka had left until he heard laughter from the stairs. Some of the girls had arrived and he was already schmoozing.

“Sounds like more people are getting here. Come on, Tanaka has a perfect table in the yard for beer pong.” Said Suga.

Downstairs, every room had people mingling around. Some people were dancing in the living room, but mostly everyone was just talking. Hinata noticed Kenma by the door looking at his phone just before Kuroo put him in a headlock and dragged him into the kitchen.  _ Wow everyone’s here tonight. I wonder where Kageyama is? _

Kenma was in the kitchen looking down into his plastic cup. “Kenma!” Called Hinata as he tossed his arms around an unsuspecting Kenma.

“Ack.” Kenma pitched and regained his balance. “Shoyo what are you doing here?” He leaned back against the cabinets.

“I should ask you that, man! You look like a fish out of water.”

“Is it that obvious?” Kenma chuckled nervously and looked up at Hinata who was caught off guard by how weirdly cute it was when Kenma peered out from behind his bangs like that.

Hinata shook his head hoping to clear his thoughts like a etch-a-sketch.  _ Inappropriate.  _ He laughed.

“What?” Laughed Kenma. “Are you…” He studied Shoyo. “Are you high?” He whispered through a big smile.

“Maybe.” Hinata smirked.

Bokoto and Tanaka came into the kitchen to make some drinks. “Hey, you guys wanna play Kings?” Said Bokoto.

“Kings?” Hinata cocked his head.

“Yeah, it’s a drinking game. Come on.” Said Tanaka. Hinata and Kenma followed them into the dining room. Hinata took a seat between Kenma and Tsukishima. “Okay, here’s the rules for those of you who don’t know. When it’s your turn, take a card. Every card has different rules and here they are: Ace is waterfall, you have to start drinking as soon as the person next to you does and you can’t stop until they do. 2 is “You” meaning you can pick someone and make them drink. 3 is “me” meaning you have to drink. 4 is um…”

“4 is floor.” Said Kuroo. “Everyone has to touch the floor and the last person to do it drinks. 5 is guys, guys drink, 6 is chicks, ladies drink. 7 is heaven, everyone has to put their hand up, last one up drinks. 8 is mate, pick someone to drink with you, 9 is-”

“And the person you pick to drink has to drink every time you do.” Chimed in Suga.

“Oh yeah, that’s important. Let’s see um-” Tanaka looked down at the cards in his hands.

“9 is rhyme. You say a phrase and go around the room and everyone has to say something that rhymes or else they drink. 10 is dare. You can pick anyone and dare them to do anything-within reason. Jack is never have I ever. Queen is question, which is basically like truth in truth or dare, so pick someone and they have to answer a question honestly.” Bokoto continued.

“And finally, king means you get to make a rule for the rest of the game. It can be anything.” Said Kuroo.

“Okay okay, let’s get started already! I’ll draw first.” Said Bokoto. He drew a Jack. “Oho ho! Jack right off the bat, okay. Never have I ever…” He looked around the room a moment. “Never have I ever been suspended.”

Noya scowled and drank. Inevitably he had to tell the story of how he got in a fight with Azumane in the hall at school and knocked over a vase and shoved the dean. 

Suddenly all eyes were on the pretty girl sitting next to Tanaka. Hinata didn’t recognize her, but he thought maybe she went to Nekoma. “Hm, let’s see.” Said the girl, rubbing her chin. “Never have I ever… Failed a class.”

A wave of boos and hisses rose as multiple people, including Hinata had to drink. “Fucking English dude. Hate that class.” He shook his head and the cute girl chuckled.

Tsuki’s turn. “Never had I ever… Um…” He blushed. “Never have I ever had my first kiss.”

“Awww.” Kuroo and Suga both called out sarcastically. “Poor Tsuki. You’re just a first year anyway, you’ll have plenty of time.” Said Suga.

Everyone else except Hinata and Kenma drank. Hinata chuckled. “What are you laughing about Shoyo-chan?” Said Tsukishima. “You didn’t drink either.”

Hinata turned red. Everyone was looking at him.  _ Oh shit. It’s my turn.  _ “Oh! Um. Hmm…” He hadn’t the slightest idea what to say. There were a lot of things he had never done. Having never been kissed wasn’t one he was embarrassed about. That was no big deal. Suga was right, there was plenty of time for that. He took a sip of his drink. Even though he didn’t need to, he wanted to. The warm feeling returned. “Never had I ever been in a fist fight!” He blurted out. A few people drank and eventually told their stories.

Kuroo’s was especially surprising. “Yeah, I got into it with my old man a few times. Nothing major. Would've kicked his ass last time if my mom hadn’t stepped in…” He broke the awkward silence with a laugh. “That’s like ancient history now though. Okay, whose turn next?”

The game continued and Hinata snuck sips in between “nevers” since he had never done hardly anything compared to the upperclassmen, and he really didn’t want to be sober for the rest of the game. Before he knew it, the pretty girl was drawing a card. 

“3, me!” She drank.

Tanaka was up next. He moved so quickly Hinata first thought he had fallen out of his chair. It wasn’t until he was the only person still in his seat that Hinata realized Tanaka had drawn a four. “Aw shit!” He laughed and drank.

“Tsuki’s turn!” Said the pretty girl.  _ How does she know him? _

Tsukishima drew a 5. “Guys.” All the boys drank except for Hinata.

“Come on Shoyo-chan!” Said Azumane. “Don’t tell me you’re getting too drunk!”

Hinata laughed. “No way. I could totally pass for a girl if I needed to though.” He said before taking a sip.

The table erupted with laughter. “Oh really?” Tsukishima looked down with delighted red eyes.

“Of course. Hey! Cross dressing is an important life skill, you know!” He slurred. “Should be like, part of home-ec or something.” There was something especially satisfying about making everyone laugh. He liked the attention. 

Kenma chuckled heartily to himself. “Oh god, you’ve got diarrhea of the mouth Shoyo.” 

Tsukishima shook his head in silence before realizing it was his turn. “Oh. 6. Chicks drink.” He tossed the card back on to the table and the girls drank. “Come on Shiho.” Said Tsuki, looking at Hinata.

Hinata responded wordlessly with a middle finger and a smile. “My turn… Assface.” He mumbled. “Okay, um. What’s 7 again?”

Everyones hands shot up. “Aw, no fair!” Last again. Hinata drank and looked around, bleary-eyed.

“Good thing your reflexes aren’t this shitty on the court. This isn’t a game you can play with your eyes closed, you know.” Chuckled Tsuki.

“Shut up.” Said Hinata.

Kenma drew a card. “King.” He smiled. “So I get to make a rule?” After a moment of thought, he continued. “Okay, every time you drink you have to make an animal noise. It has to be a different one every time too. If you repeat an animal, you have to drink twice.”

“Oh ho ho ho!” Bokoto pumped his fist into the air. “Not a bad one, rookie. Not bad at all.” Everyone laughed.

Suga’s turn. “Queen. Do I get to ask anyone a question? Hm…”

“Make it something embarrassing!” Interrupted Hinata.

“Okay Shoyo-chan, since you’re so ready, I’ll put you in the hot seat!” He took a sip of his drink. “Let’s see… Who do you have a crush on?”

“A crush!? Are you kidding me? I don’t friggen know, dude. Crushes are so stupid. What even is a crush anyway? I mean, there are plenty of pretty girls that I think are nice to look at but…”

“A crush is someone who makes you nervous and stupid.” Said Tanaka.

“Yeah, the person you have a crush on changes the way you act. For some people, it’s really obvious.” Said Suga, looking directly at Tanaka, no doubt in reference to the slobbery dog-face he makes around Shimizu.

Everyone began going off on their own little tangents here and there, and Hinata was deep in thought. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. They make you all weird like-bwah. And when they talk to you it’s like-”

“And when they look at you. Even for a second.” Said Tanaka, doubtless daydreaming about Shimizu-san. 

“Exactly! I can’t stand that!” Hinata whacked Tsukishima on the shoulder with the back of his hand and said quietly. “THAT’S Why I always close my eyes when I-” He stopped himself. Suddenly his heart was in his throat. Tsukishima was staring. “I mean heh. Well, you know. Anyway.” He awkwardly chuckled. “I don’t think I have a crush.” He said loudly enough for everyone to hear. “I’m too immature for that kind of stuff!”

“Okay, okay.” Suga said over everyone else’s boos and hisses. “I actually believe that coming from Hinata. He might be a little runt, but he’s a self-aware runt, I’ll give ‘em that!”

“Shut up!” Hinata responded playfully. “Moo bitches.” He took a sip.

Tsukishima continued to stare. “Wait. What?” He cocked his head.

Hinata chuckled nervously. “What? I said moo. The sound a cow makes?”

“Dude… You were just about to say that’s why you close your eyes, what, when you spike?? Because when you spike…” Tsukishima's eyes grew wide. “Dude!” He shouted and covered his mouth to hide his hysterical laughter. Hinata had never seen him laugh like this before.

“Shut up Tsukishima!” Whispered Hinata while playfully hitting him on the shoulder. “Don’t read into that!”

“Don’t read into it? You realize what you just said right?” He whispered. “You only close your eyes when Tobio tosses to you. You just implied that you close your eyes because your crush is looking at you. Ergo, you have a crush on-”

By this point Hinata had jumped out of his chair and physically covered Tsukishima’s mouth before he could finish. “It just slipped out, okay?” He whispered. “Seriously, don’t read into that, that’s not what I meant!”  _ Oh my god, why did I say that?  _ Hinata flushed and thought about the look on Kageyama’s the first time he tossed to him.

“Stop it! What are you guys doing?” Azumane had gotten up to break up what looked like a fight between Hinata and Tsukishima.

Tsukishima got up and dusted himself off. “It’s nothing.” He adjusted his glasses. “Just hit a nerve I guess.”

Azumane narrowed his eyes. “Okaay… Well whatever's going on, cool it, will ya?” He looked around. Hinata realized that Azumane was likely trying to look tough in front of the girl sitting next to him and chuckled. Why was everything suddenly so hilarious?

“My turn!” Shouted Kuroo. “8, pick a date. I mean mate.” Kuroo laughed. “Definitely picking Kenma here.” He raised his cup and joined in a long sip. When they were done, both of them meowed. “Hey, you stole my animal!” He laughed.

“You guys have to drink again, you repeated an animal!” Shouted Noya.

Kenma growled and took another sip. “Looks like my rule is backfiring.”

Hinata smacked him on the back.  “Hey, what level you think you could clear in castle crashers while this drunk?”

Kenma snickered. “I could beat the whole thing, I’m totally fine.”

“Well, we gotta change that. Here.” Suga poured some more whiskey from the bottle on the table into Kenma’s cup. 

“You guys are trying to get me drunk!” Kenma giggled.

“Of course we are. Drunk Kenma would be friggen hilarious!” Said Kuroo.

Kenma rolled his eyes and took a sip. “Bleh.” He scrunched up his face. 

_ So cute.  _ Hinata caught himself and shook his head again. Tsukishima was smirking down at him.  _ Oh shit. Stupid gay brain, shut up!  _ Hinata laughed at himself.  _ Oh god I think I might have just come out to Tsukishima. Of all people. Shit. _

“Aaaay!” A raucous came at the door as a few more people arrived, mingling with everyone else in the living room. It was Oikawa and Kageyama. “Speaking of Kings!” Laughed Kuroo.

Hinata stood up. He didn’t realize it until he started stumbling.  _ I’m drunker than I thought.  _ “I’m gonna go outside and play beer pong.” Hinata said as he pointedly left the room just as Kageyama was entering. He felt his face getting red.  _ I need some air. _

Hinata stood and watched the game without talking to anyone for a while. 

“Hey. Why don’t you go talk to Kageyama. I think he’s looking for you.” Tsukishima smirked.

“No way!” Said Hinata. “You’re just gonna keep giving me weird looks all night!”

“Heh. Calm down Shoyo. I don’t care. I won’t tell anyone, it’s just funny is all. It’s weird, but it’s like, it almost seems like incest, you know?”

“What?” Hinata blushed. “No it’s not. We’re a team, not a family…” Hinata turned to look up at Tsuki. “It’s really cute you feel that way though Tsuki-chan!”  He said doing his best silly schoolgirl impression.

“Ew.” Tsuki grimaced. “Hey!” He called over to Kageyama and pointed down to Hinata. The two boys height advantage made it easy for them to see each other from across the crowded yard. “Suck it, Shiho.” He whispered as he walked away.

Hinata threw up his arms. “Well maybe I will!” He blurted out.  _ God I am fucking hilarious.  _ He thought to himself as he actually watched Tsukishima’s soul fly out of his body.  _ What is wrong with me? _

He could feel his stomach turn when he caught a glimpse of Kageyama. “Hey! Dumbass!” He barked from across the yard. He had a drink in his hand. “What are you doing, veggin out here?”

Hinata smiled. “Veggin out, duh.” He shrugged and took another sip.

Kageyama shook his head. The two boys drank in silence as they watched the kids play beer pong.

“Hey um.” Hinata looked up at Kageyama. “You drinking?”

“Tch. Obviously. Not a lot. This is only my second one.” Said Kageyama. He raised an eyebrow. “You look like you’ve had a few. How long ago did you get here?”

“Erm. Before 9. I smoked a little upstairs before everyone else got here with some of the volleyball guys.” Hinata shuffled nervously.

“Oh.” Said Kageyama in an unfamiliar tone. 

_Wait, was he not invited earlier? Does he feel bad that the upperclassmen wanted to hang out with me and not him?_ _Is that even true? Am I… Am I cooler than Kageyama??_ Hinata beamed at the thought.

“What?” Asked an annoyed Kageyama.

“Nothing. It’s just, I beat you here, is all.” He blushed. Tsukishima shot him a look from the porch, which didn’t go unnoticed by an increasingly nervous Hinata.

“Shut up.” Said Kageyama flatly. 

“Are they still playing kings in there? It’s an awesome game, you’d love it!”

Kageyama scowled. 

Back in the dining room, Tanaka and Bokuto were having some in-depth conversation about college and the pressures of choosing a major. They were both pretty drunk. Azumane and Noya were both flirting with girls. Kageyama and Hinata continued walking through the room as they could both easily sense none of the conversations in this room had room for either of them. 

Kenma and Kuroo were in the living room getting a game of castle crashers started on Xbox. Kenma waved them over. “Come on Shoyo, you can be the green guy.”

“Hell yeah! Kageyama, you be the red guy.”

“I hate the red guy. I like the green one.” Said Kageyama. Hinata knew that.

“Okay, okay. We’ll thumb wrestle for it!” He grabbed Kageyama’s hand and forced him into an epic battle. Hinata squirmed his entire body around as Kageyama pinned his thumb down. “Nooo!” Hinata hated losing. Without thinking, he tackled Kageyama on to the couch. Suddenly, Kageyama was looking at him, and he was nervous. He got up and scratched his head. “Hah. Sorry, got a little carried away. You win” He blushed.

“Obviously. Dumbass” Said Kageyama, righting himself. 

Hinata couldn’t help but notice how flushed Kageyama’s cheeks had gotten. He was drunk.

“Let’s play.” Said Kageyama, selecting the green knight.

“Sure.” Said Hinata after shaking his head clear.

 

 

Hinata awoke on the floor with a headache. “Uugh. Where’s the bathroom?” He asked before even opening his eyes. From the couch, Hinata heard Kageyama turn over and utter the cadence of “I don’t know.”

Looking around, Hinata regained his bearings and ran the sink in the bathroom. He was so unbelievably thirsty he cupped his hands and drank the tap water right from the sink. He gasped after taking in more water than he ever thought he could.  _ I think I’m gonna puke.  _ But he didn’t.

Hinata descended the stairs looking miserable. Kenma appeared in the kitchen doorway with a gatorade in hand. “Here.”  From the hall Hinata could see the clock on the oven said 4 AM. 

“I thought it was morning.” He rubbed his eyes.

Kenma shrugged. “Technically it is. Here.” He handed Hinata his drink. “This will make you feel better.”

The cold blue liquid was the most satisfying thing he ever drank. “This was my first time drinking.” He admitted.

“I could tell.” Chuckled Kenma. “It’s okay, it was mine too.”

“I um, don’t remember falling asleep. I was only out for a few hours, but I feel so awake right now.” Hinata scratched his head.

“Yeah, me too. Heh. You have some serious lack of inhibition when you’re drunk, you know.” Kenma blushed.

“Really? I don’t even remember half the night…”

Kenma shrugged. “Think I might have caught what you and Tsuki were fighting about during kings…”

Hinata cocked his head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself…” He looked away. “I actually think it’s kind of cute.”

It took Hinata a minute to realize what Kenma was talking about.  _ Oh shit, he doesn’t mean…  _ “No! It’s not like that! It’s not! He was putting words in my mouth, I dont-” Hinata realized he was nearly shouting and stopped himself. “It’s not like that, okay? I was talking about… Something else.”

“Sure.” Said Kenma with a smirk before going upstairs to use the bathroom.

Kageyama turned over a groaned. Hinata jumped.  _ Good god I need to get out of here. _

 

Hinata half expected his bike to be moved or somehow vandalized. From the look of the house, the party had gotten a little crazy. Unable to function fully, Hinata walked his bike to the foothill store and bought himself another gatorade.

Ukai stood with his arms folded, watching Hinata carefully as he approached the counter. “You’re up early.” He raised an eyebrow at the disheveled Hinata.

“Yeah I um. Couldn’t sleep. Got some kind of stomach bug.”

“Uh-huh.” Said Ukai incredulously. “Just uh. Get some sleep.” He said awkwardly.

_ Can he tell that I’m hung over? Oh shit, do I smell like weed?  _ Hinata suddenly became paranoid of his way home.  _ If Ukai reacted like that, what’ll my mum think?  _ He stopped on the sidewalk to sit on the curb and think.

_ Why did I say that?  _ He thought back to his conversation with Tsuki and Kenma.  _ Is that even true? Do I close my eyes because of him?  _ Hinata thought back to all the games and competitions and times he had tackled Kageyama. He thought about the childlike joy he got from messing around with him.  _ That’s just the type of thing buddies do. I’m just messing around. Not flirting.  _ “Definitely not flirting.” He said out loud before slapping himself on the face with both hands. “Okay.” He tried to smooth his hair and make himself a little more presentable, just in case.

Back home, his mom was most likely hung over too, because she was passed out on the couch. Hinata was able to sneak back into his room and crash in bed with his gatorade handy. Just as he got comfortable, he realized he probably needed to move the trashcan next to the bed. Just in case.  _ I feel like I’m going to actually die. Uuuuugh!  _ He wanted to groan out loud, but didn’t want to make a raucous.  _ This is stupid.  _ He tried to shake his head clear again.

Just before he fell asleep, Hinata suddenly remembered one critical detail.  _ I was on the couch.  _ He thought back to Tanaka’s living room.  _ We fell asleep on the couch together. Oh my god.  _ He remembered the feeling of a warm body next to him.  _ We were totally spooning before he kicked me off the couch.  _ The flush of embarrassment returned.  _ Was that what Kenma was talking about? There wasn't anything weird about that, right? ...Right? _

  
  


“Quit it!” Kageyama laughed as he tried to shove Hinata off of him. 

He couldn’t help it. Seeing Kageyama laugh made him so uncontrollably happy. “No way!” He feigned anger. “You have to admit that the green guy sucks!”

“Never!” Kageyama shouted. “You just suck at the game!”

“That doesn’t mean you can just ignore me when I die! You have to heal your buddy, it’s like the rules!” Hinata folded his arms and huffed.

“How the hell do you guys play on a volleyball team together?” One of the girls from Nekoma asked. Hinata had since learned her name was Sango. 

“What? You mean because we fight so much?” Hinata raised an eyebrow.

She giggled. “Well yeah, that and…” She rolled her eyes.

Hinata and Kageyama both cocked their heads to the exact same angle. 

“Oh my god you guys are so fucking cute!” She covered her mouth to laugh. “Nevermind.” She waved her hand got up to talk to her girlfriends. 

Kaneyama shrugged and finished his drink. 

“Okay children, take these.” Saeko came in with a case of water bottles.”Everyone drink one of these at least, okay.” She pointed directly at Hinata. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Aww, look at you, being the nice responsible sister.” Said Noya. 

Saeko stood proud with her hands on her hips. “You know it. It’s like I’m almost an actual adult. Now who wants fun dip?” She said as she produced a bag of candy seemingly from nowhere.

“What took you so long?” Said Tanaka as he took a water bottle.

“Well it’s not like I could go to the foothill store and buy hangover supplies from Ukai. I had to go to the one on the other side of town.”

“Dude. It’s not like he knows they’re for us. You’re so paranoid.”

“You’re welcome!” She brushed him off and went into the kitchen.

“Sisters are so stupid.” Tanaka shook his head.

“No way! Your sister’s the coolest!” Said Hinata. “I wish I had a big sister like her!”

“You just want someone’s closet to raid cause your sister’s clothes don’t fit you.” Commented Tsukishima.

“True.” Hinata did nothing to defend himself. “Ooh!” Hinata got distracted and went out on to the porch. “Kitty!” A grey cat sat on the railing.

“This is Kevin.” Said Tanaka. “Be nice to him.

Kevin meowed. 

“Hey! Who’s meowing out there!” Shouted Kuroo through the window.

“It’s an actual cat this time, I swear!” Shouted Kenma before meowing under his breath.

“Hey!” Kuroo hopped out the window. “I want to pat Kevin!”

Kenma picked up Kevin and scratched his ear. Kuroo stumbled over and clumsily pet the cat.

“Hey, pet the cat, not me!” Said Kenma. “Actually, you can pat me too if you want.” He said before leaning his head against Kuroo’s shoulder. The sudden closeness of the two boys made Kevin leap out of Kenma’s arms.

“Dammit Kenma, you scared him!” Kuroo shoved Kenma away.

Kenma pouted. “Sorry.”

Hinata noticed Kageyama’s eyes try to follow kevin as he disappeared into the woods. “Do you like cats?”

“Hm?” Kageyama hadn't been paying attention. “Yeah, I have a tabby. I think I’ve seen Kevin sniffing around my yard. I don’t let mine out. He’d probably kick her ass.”

Hinata laughed. “Were you really trying to decide whose cat would win in a fight?”

“My cat would kick both their asses!” Said Kuroo. 

“My dog would eat them for lunch.” Laughed Suga.

“Aw what kind of dog do you have?” Hinata lit up.

“Jeez, you really like animals, huh? I have a pit. His name’s david.” Said Suga.

“What is it with you people and giving your animals lame american names? I would call my kitty Sakura or something. Maybe Clover.” Said Hinata.

“Dude that’s like the gayest thing I’ve ever heard.” Said Kageyama. “My cat’s name is Odin.”

“You’re the gayest thing I’ve ever heard. And what kind of a name for a girl is Odin?” Said Hinata.

“It’s a Norse God dumbass. You’d know that if you aid attention is world lit.”

“Shut up!” Hinata put up his hand and shouted like he was calling for a toss. He loved making Kageyama laugh.

“Hey Tanaka, what are you gonna do for your sister’s birthday? It’s tomorrow, right?” Said Suga.

“I don’t know. She doesn’t really like gifts, so usually I just do something nice for her, like take her chores or clean her car. I don’t know what I’ll do this year yet though. I’ll have to do something cute.”

Hinata was half-listening while trying to perch on the raining without falling off. It was actually quite difficult. “Hey! Um!” He suddenly piped up. “Did you know that I have been told that um. I am cute??” He pointed to himself and nearly lost his balance in the process.

Tanaka coked his head and everyone was silent for a moment before Tanaka and Noya began laughing hysterically. “What dude???!” 

“What?” Kageyama and Kenma looked around confused.

“Don’t-” Kuroo tried his best to collect himself enough to speak. “Don’t even worry about it, children, it was an inappropriate comment.”

“Yeah, cover your ears!” Said Noya.

“We’re the same age dumbass!” Hinata hated hearing Kageyama call anyone else dumbass.

Suga collected himself and sipped his drink. “Hinata is easily the coolest fucking first-year I have ever met!” He held his side.

Hinata beamed from within  _ The third years really do think I’m cool!  _

“What are you guys doing out here?” Oikawa came out on to the porch upon hearing everyone laughing so hard. “The neighbors are gonna hear you, you know.” He chuckled.

_ Oh, that’s right. Oikawa and Kageyama came together. Why were they together?  _ He felt weirdly jealous. “Oh, you know, just decreasing our life expectancy. Do you have any pets Oikawa?” Asked Hinata.

“Yeah, I have a dog. Why?”

“Grr, why does everyone have a pet but me??” Pouted Hinata.

“Shut up, dumbass, I’ll buy you a goldfish. You’ll match.” Said Kageyama, grinding the heel of his hand into Hinata’s head.

“Yeah, you’ll both have the same attention span. It’ll be perfect.” Said Noya.

“What’s your dog’s name?” Asked Hinata, completely ignoring Noya.

“Susan.” Oikawa raised an eyebrow.

“Jesus christ man! I’m gonna have to name my cat Gary!” Said an exasperated Hinata.

“Susan would kick all of your pets asses.” Said Kageyama.

“How do you know Susan??” Asked Hinata.

Kageyama shrugged. “I don’t know, from work? She’s my shift leader.”

Everyone laughed except Hinata.  _ He’s been to Oikawa’s house? _

“Oh, come on Hinata, you can come over and play with my dog, okay?” Suga slapped Hinata on the back.

“Kageyama.” Hinata marched up to him and stuck his finger in his face. “You are going to introduce me to your cat, okay?”

“Okay, jeez.”

“You promise?” Hinata looked up, flushed and flustered.

Kageyama looked down, momentarily caught off guard. “Whatever, dumbass.” He ruffled Hinata’s hair.

“Hey!” Hinata jumped back and smoothed down his hair. “I hope you don’t pat your kitty that rough!”

“You creep, I wasn’t patting you!” Kageyama blushed, flustered.

“You guys are weird.” Said Kenma, straight-faced, sipping his drink.

“Look who’s talking, crazy cat lady!” Blurted Hinata.

“Whatever, I’m getting another beer.” Said Kageyama.

“Ick. How can you drink that crap?” Said Hinata.

“Hey, don’t knock it, git it another try.” Tanaka handed Hinata his cup.

Hinata drank slowly and made a pensive face before swallowing. “I could it see it tasting good to people who, like-” He took another sip. “You know, hate themselves.”

Kageyama doubled over laughing as he continued walking away. Tanaka took his beer back and made a weird face.

“Can we smoke out here?” Tsukishima stepped outside and produced a joint from his pocket.

Tanaka shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

Tsukishima took a hit and offered one to Tanaka who accepted. Kageyama returned with a beer and a bottle of water in hand. He handed the water to Hinata. “Here, you should probably switch to water.” He said, looking into Hinata’s almost empty cup.

“What? You think I’m getting too drunk?” A quick rush of fear swept through Hinata’s chest as he realized Kageyama actually looked concerned.

“Yes.” Kageyama growled. “You’re obnoxious. Here. Just drink it..” He shoved the bottle into Hinata’s chest and put his cup on the ground.

“Heh. You guys sound like an old married couple.” Tsukishima smirked.

“Shut up!” Hinata and Kageyama shouted in unison.

 

Hinata turned over and unlocked his phone. He had 40 notifications on his facebook app.  _ What the-? I never get this many notifications.  _ He opened the app and saw a bunch of people people liked a some photos he was tagged in.  _ Oh god.  _ He didn’t remember having his picture taken, and he was afraid to open it.

One of the pictures was of Saeko painting his nails.  _ Oh.  _ He looked at his fingers.  _ Well that explains that.  _ He chuckled. The next one was of him and Kageyama. Oikawa posted it and captioned it with a heart-eyed emoji.

Hinata started to remember that he had wrapped his arm around Kageyama for support as they stumbled back inside. “Smile losers!” Called out Oikawa as he held up his phone. Naturally, the urge to do something silly overcame Hinata and he planted a kiss right on Kageyama’s cheek. The look of shock on Kageyama’s face was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.  _ Oh my god. I remember. We passed out on the couch together like right after this. Shit. Shit. Holy shit. _ He sprang up and paced around his room. He got a text.

-You alright?

-Are you at home already?

-(...)

It was Kageyama. The typing icon showed for a while, then disappeared. It was Kageyama. Hinata thought about responding, but didn’t start to type yet. He didn’t want him to know he had even gotten the text yet.  _ What do I even say? Am I alright? _

                                                                  -Yeah, I’m alright. 

                                                                  -Well, sort of… *bleh*

-(...)

 

-(...)

 

-k just checking

                                                                 -I saw ukai at the store on my way

                                                                 -i think he knows :-x

-u dumbass!!!

-y would u go there of all places !

                                                                 -i was thirsty…

 

_ Is this normal for Kageyama?  _ Hinata poured over the few texts and carefully analyzed them for any weirdness.  _ Maybe he remembers less than me… No way, I was way drunker than him. Shit. Shit!  _ Hinata's face lost all its colour as he remembered more and more details from the previous night.  _Whatever. It's not a big deal. It's not like anyone was really listening that closely... Except for Tsuki. Fuck Tsuki._


	2. Out Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes I was high pretty much the entire time I wrote this. And no I have never been to Japan and I have very little understanding of their culture and/or shrubbery.

 

“Ugh.” Kageyama turned over and rubbed his eyes. The leather couch he passed out on was soft and worn. He could hear Hinata’s muffled voice:

“-Don’t even remember half the night.”

“Think I might have caught what you and Tsuki were fighting about during kings…” Kenma’s voice came from the foyer. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it to myself… I actually think it’s kind of cute.”

Barely awake and still a little drunk, Kageyama tried to right himself when he heard Hinata’s frantic voice desperately trying to hush himself.  _ Dumbass. He only draws more attention to himself when he gets all flustered like that.  _ “What are you-” Kageyama tried to call out to Hinata before realizing he was already gone.

Kageyama sat up and breathed deep. “Water.” He said out loud as a wave of nausea hit him like a riptide. A half drunk water bottle sat on the floor. He chugged it, not caring who it originally belonged to. 

“Mmpf.” An annoyed and clearly hungover Tanaka waved his hand above his sleeping face.

Kageyama looked around. Last thing he remembered, Hinata had wormed his way onto the couch with him. The two of them sell asleep snuggled up to each other. He remembered the warm feeling of cradling his overly drunk friend in his arms.  _ What was that all about?  _ Kageyama took pleasure in looking after his hapless counterpart. Afterall, the setter’s job was to make sure the spiker could freely jump and attack to the best of his ability. Of course there was nothing weird about that.

_ I can’t believe I let Oikawa talk me into going to this crazy shit…  _ Ever since that day Oikawa invited Kageyama to his house, every interaction became suddenly stressful. He didn’t know how much longer he’d be able to take it. He was quietly imploding more and more every day.

 

~

_ Two days ago: _

 

“Borf!” Susan called out as soon as Kageyama rang the doorbell.

“Sush!” Oikawa’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Hey Tobio!” Said Oikawa, holding his dog by the collar as the excited retriever tried relentlessly to lunge at the perceived intruder. “Sorry about her. She’d probably just lick you to death if I let her go…”

“Oh.” Kageyama shuffled nervously. “That’s okay. I like dogs.” He lied. Kageyama was never very comfortable around dogs.

Oikawa shrugged and let her go.

“Gah!” Susan pinned Kageyama to the floorboards of Oikawa’s porch, licking his face.  _ Ew. _ Kageyama shoved the dog off of him and wiped the saliva off his cheek. 

Oikawa laughed. “Sorry about that. She’s really a good girl. She just gets a little carried away sometimes.”

“It’s fine.” Kageyama sighed as Susan’s rolling boil of energy slowed to a simmer at his feet. “What did you want to see me for? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Oikawa waved his hard and gestured Kageyama inside. “Come back here I want to show you something.” Oikawa lead Kageyama to his back yard, picking his volleyball off a shelf on his way. “Toss to me.” The yard was big and even had a net set up.

Kageyama cocked his head. “You want me to toss-”

“Yes! Jesh.” Oikawa shook his head and lobbed the ball just above Kageyama’s head. 

Kageyama shrugged. Looking up at Oikawa, he realized he had never tossed to him like this. Oikawa’s spike was beastly, Kageyama knew that. Surprisingly, Oikawa started jumping before Kageyama was entirely ready, forcing him to use his best precision to toss the ball directly into Oikawa’s palm.

The bushes rustled. The ball had gone straight past the back of Oikawa’s head. “Not even close.” Said Oikawa, looking down at the ground. “I just can’t do it. I know it’s not just about physical ability, I could crush that punk...”

He probably wasn’t wrong, Kageyama had just never thought of it like that before. “I don’t entirely know why. It just works. Who cares why?”

“I do. I just can’t figure out how he can bring out the best in you and I can’t. That’s my job. You’ve become a completely different person since joining Karasuno. You’re more relaxed, you even smile and mess around with your teammates. You were never like that with us.”

“I was a different person then.“Said Kageyama reflexively. That should have been obvious. “What does it matter to you?”

Oikawa sighed deeply and placed his hand on his hips. “It’s nothing.” He said, waving his hand in front of his face. “Guess I’m just a little jealous is all.” He turned and retrieved the ball from the bushes. “Let’s just practice tossing a bit.”

“Why should I? What am I getting out of this?” Asked Kageyama.

Oikawa smiled villainously. “Teach me to toss like that and I’ll teach you the secret to my killer serve.”

 

“Again!” Shouted Oikawa, wiping his face on the neck of his jersey.

Kageyama sighed. “Look, you’re not gonna get it. I can’t explain it, it just kind of… Happens. It’s not a matter of the spiker just being so amazing he can magically hit my best toss.”

Oikawa growled. “I know that!”

Kageyama reeled. “Then why do you keep trying to hit them? Just don’t. Just… Swing.”

“I’m trying but… I mean, who trusts anyone 100% like that? It’s just- Not natural!”

Kageyama shrugged. “I don’t know. Hinata?”

Oikawa righted himself as he finally caught his breath. “So I guess that’s your secret then. You have a connection. Guess there’s no helping that.” He shrugged. “I could never compete with him.”

Kageyama raised an eyebrow. “You’re not competing with Hinata. If anyone, I’m your rival.  Your specialty is setting, not spiking-”

“Of course I am you shithead! God, you’re clueless!” Oikawa met Kageyama’s eyes with a rather unnerving expression and stormed forward. 

Kageyama braced himself for a fight, but before he knew it, Oikawa’s lips were pressed against his.  _ What the-?  _ Instinct kicked in just the same. Without thinking, Kageyama had shoved Oikawa so hard that he fell backwards onto the lawn.

Kageyama bowed abruptly. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to push you I just- I didn’t know how to react!”

Oikawa chuckled. “Jeez Tobio. What’s your deal? You act like you’ve never kissed a dude before.”

“What??” Said a flabbergasted Kageyama. “Of course I haven’t! I’m not- I mean. I- I have a girlfriend!” He blurted.

“You have a girlfriend? Who?” Oikawa narrowed his eyes.

“You don’t know her. She- Goes to another school.”

“What school?” Oikawa lowered his head.

Kageyama tried to keep his face from getting any redder. He was caught in his lie. “Nekoma.” He blurted again. 

“Oh! Perfect!” Oikawa sprang up. “A bunch of girls from Nekoma are coming to this party on Saturday. Invite her, I’d love to meet her!”

“What party?” Kageyama winced.

“Oh. Maybe you haven’t been invited yet. I mean, it was only the cool kids who got the official invite… But anyway, Tanaka’s big sister is having a bunch of people over while her parents are away for the weekend. Naturally Ryu’s buddies are coming too.”

“Oh, right. Sure. I knew that.” He lied.

“Hmph. And I thought for sure you were a total homo. You never gush over that lady manager like everyone else does… Oh well.” Oikawa shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying. But hey, now I can move on. I’m not into straight guys.” He chuckled. “Why don’t you come to the party with me? Just as friends of course. It’ll be fun. Can’t wait to meet the lucky girl.” He said in the most smarmy way possible.

 

~

“Don’t mind! Don’t mind!” Daichi called out yet again. 

Hinata got up off the floor and shook his head. 

_ What is his deal? _ Thought Kageyama, wiping the sweat from his brow.  _ This is the third time he missed my toss.  _ “You feeling okay, Hinata?” He asked.  _ Maybe he’s hung over? _

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Hinata clearly lied. “I’m just a little off today. Maybe we should try some receives?” He turned to Daichi.

Daichi scratched the back of his head. “Okay. Yeah, why don’t we switch things up a bit, come back to your quick later.”

Kageyama felt his frustration peak. He and Hinata both knew he was keeping his eyes open, something he had never done before. “Why are you opening your eyes now? It worked just fine before with you swatting at the air like an idiot. Why are you suddenly trying to fix what’s not broken?”

Hinata clenched his fists. “Of course it’s broken. We are not invincible. I can and will be blocked. Nekoma’s good, but they’re not the best. What do you think would happen if we tried that against Date? Or Shiratorizawa?”

“Tch.” Kageyama huffed. “You think I don’t know that? There’s no one play that going to magically score every time. That’s not how volleyball works. We need an arsenal of attacks. We can do regular quicks too, but if we’re going to do it our way, I need you to trust me.”

Hinata sighed. “Okay. One more.”

Kageyama watched Hinata leap into the air as he always had. Something was different this time. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Hinata was somehow harder to read. It was like there was a pane of glass between them. He could see Hinata, but he couldn’t read his movements anymore. Instead of smooth and confident, they were somehow choppy, like the cocky Hinata he knew was replaced with the middle-school version of himself.

Daichi sighed. “Look guys, you’re clearly having an off day. Let’s just practice receives for a while. We’ll talk after practice.” Something seemed off about Daichi too. In fact, everyone was acting a little weird today.

After practice, Daichi took Hinata and Kageyama aside to talk.

“So I know it’s probably not easy to talk about, and you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to, but I definitely think you guys need to work this out. I know relationships can be hard, especially when um… Well, you know.” Kageyama had never seem Daichi blush before. It was terrifying. Like seeing your dad cry.

“Wait, what?” Hinata scowled. “Please tell me you’re not talking about what I think you are. Look, that’s a rumor okay? Nothing happened!”

Kageyama stared blankly.

Daichi put his hands out in front of his chest. “No, no that’s not what I mean. That is, um-” He stammered.

“What are you talking about? What rumor?” Kageyama had never been so confused. “I’m completely lost here.”

Hinata threw up his hands. “Of course you are, you’re completely oblivious!” He shouted. “Everyone at school thinks we hooked up at Tanaka’s party.” He said quietly.

Kageyama blinked. “Hooked up?? What does that even mean?” He felt his chest tighten and his face flush.

“Wait wait wait- You guys are saying it’s just a rumor? It’s not even true!?” Said an exasperated Daichi. “Then what was all the awkwardness for then? If it’s not that, then what is it?”

Kageyama looked at Hinata, who immediately dodged eye contact. “Look, I honestly don’t know.” Said Kageyama, looking back at Daichi. “But we’ll figure it out. Just give us some time.”

Daichi folded his arms and looked incredulously at his kohais. “Okay. Just-” He sighed. “Just promise me you’ll come to me if you need anything okay? I can work on damage control for these bogus rumors if you want.”

“That would actually be really helpful.” Kageyama said sheepishly. He could feel his ears burning as reality settled in.  _ What are people saying about me? And how much does Hinata know about this? I don’t think I forgot anything about that night. I wasn’t that drunk…  _

 

Hinata poured more rum into his soda. Everyone was laughing and messing around, and he figured nobody would notice if he snuck a little more. At this point, his drink was mostly rum with a little bit of coke in it. Little by little, it started to add up.

He had to do something to get the embarrassment out of his head. As he walked down the halls at school, it was like every third person was whispering something as soon as he passed. 

Gym class used to be his favorite period. Now, it was a nightmare. He had taken to getting dressed in the bathroom before class so as to avoid the locker room. Not that it had ever been a problem in the past, but now it felt like everyone was uneasy around him. They started acting like there was some creepy pedophile in the room or something. Even Daichi was acting weird around him at practice.

“Get down from there!” Suga called up to Nishinoya who was clumsily trying to reach the top of a tree. The woods behind the gym provided the perfect place for the boys to drink away yet another Saturday night. It was only a matter of time before someone had the bright idea to climb one of the oaks with low-hanging branches.

“Hah. Good luck explaining to coach how our libero broke his leg.” Said Hinata. 

“What’s up lickbags?” Called Tsukishima from the path. He had brought a couple of girls with him. Hinata thought their names were Yui and Sango. He had never really paid much attention to them though.

“Oh shit, not this guy.” Hinata rolled his eyes.

“What, you’re not happy to see me?” Said Tsuki between hits. “I thought we were besties!” He chuckled as he threw an arm around Hinata.

“Fuck off.” Hinata shoved Tsukishima.

“Woah!” Tsuki laughed condescendingly. “What’s that about? Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad. It’s just. You know. Fuck all the way off for the rest of your life, that’s all.” Hinata waved his hand nonchalantly. He could play the flippant bull-shit game too.

Tsukishima threw up his arms and looked around. “What did I do?”

He didn’t know how, but Hinata knew it was Tsuki who spread that rumor about him and Kageyama. He wasn’t going to call him out for it though. He didn’t want to seem uncool. He tried to laugh it off. “Look man.” He slurred. His vision was starting to get blurry. “I’m not saying I hate the guy or anything, but like, if I was locked in a room with Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, and Tsukishima and I had a gun with two bullets, I would shoot Tsuki twice.” The group erupted in laughter. “First in the ass, then in the face. That’s all.” He shrugged.

“Wow, that’s pretty intense.” Said Tsukishima, shaking his head. He looked down at his phone. “Oh, by the way, I invited Kageyama, I hope that’s okay.” Tsuki smiled.

_ God I want to punch this guy in the face so bad.  _ Hinata clenched his fists.

Sango inched closer to Hinata. “He can be a jerk, I know. He just likes attention.” She whispered. “He’s really not a bad guy.”

Hinata shook his head. “You’re probably right.” 

“Hey.” Kageyama’s voice came from behind the trees. 

“Ahoy!” Called out Oikawa’s voice  from the same direction.

_ He’s with Oikawa again?? _ Hinata was annoyed.  _ When did they start hanging out? _

Kageyama stood awkwardly with his hands in his pockets and looked up at Noya. “What are you doing?” He sneered.

“Look! I’m a sloth!” A drunk Noya tried to turn himself upside down and hang from the branch when he lost his grip and fell. It all happened so fast, but somehow Kageyama managed to catch Noya. They did however, both end up landing in a pile of leaves.

“Niice receive Tobio!” Noya gave him the thumbs up.

To Hinata’s surprise, Kageyama laughed and dusted himself off. They were both mercifully uninjured. “You’re lucky I was here. Dumbass.”

Hinata pouted. “Here.” He handed Kageyama his drink.

“Ack!” Kageyama coughed and sputtered. “What the hell is this?”

“Um, rum? What did you think it was? Coke?” Said Hinata.

“Jesus.” Kageyama studied the bottle a moment before downing the entire thing. “Aah! That was like 90% rum.”

Hinata looked at Kageyama wide-eyed. “I can’t believe you drank that.”

“Yeah, well… I didn’t really want you drinking it. It’s probably too strong for you.”

Hinata clenched his fists for a moment then let go. “Heh. Probably.”

“Hey! I know!” Said a curiously energetic Nishinoya. “We should play manhunt! Four on four.”

“Only if I get to be one of the captains!” Said Oikawa as the Sango made him a drink.

Noya picked Suga, Hinata, and Tsukishima. Oikawa picked Sango, Yui, and Kageyama. 

As soon as the game started, Hinata knew he has no chance of winning. He was starting to see double.

As he ran through the woods, the perfect spot seemed to appear out of nowhere. A large hydrangea bush next to a boulder provided perfect cover. He and Tsukishima dashed towards it at the same moment.

“Hey! This is my spot, I found it first!” Whined Hinata as Tsuki climbed up on the boulder.

“Well I got here first. We could both hide here if you want.” Tsuki giggled.

“No way. I’m not climbing into a bush with you creepy Tsuki!” Said Hinata. “In fact, I’m not getting near another person as long as I live cause of you.” He blurted out.  _ Verbal diarrhea again. _

“What?? What the hell did I do? I know you’re pissed at me, but I have no idea what I did.”

“Are you kidding me? You know why I’m pissed. I know you started that rumor about me. Who else would have done something like that?”

“What?? I didn’t do that. I don’t give a shit if it’s true or not. Don’t flatter yourself. Your sex life is the LAST thing I ever think about.” Tsukishima climbed down and rolled his eyes. “I invited Kageyama because I knew you guys were avoiding each other. All I care about is you guys getting your shit together in time for the next game. I’m sick of watching your little soap opera, I just want to win for once.”

Hinata cocked his head. “You mean it wasn’t you? Then who was it?”

“God you’re stupid. Who do you think it was?”

Hinata shrugged. “No clue.”

Tsukishima turned and waved. “Whoever it was was someone who knew this rumor would ruin the dynamics of the team. Think real hard Shoyo...”

Nearly forgetting about the game, Hinata aimlessly wandered around the woods, thinking back to the night of that party.  _ Who was there?  _ Hinata pictured the living room at Tanaka’s party. From the couch he could see one other person who had been there the whole night, someone he had forgotten about…

“Gotcha!” 

“What the-?” Hinata was pummeled to the ground. 

“You’re out! What were you doing in the middle of the path? Asking to get caught?” Oikawa sat up and laughed.

“Oikawa!” Hinata threw up his arms. “Holy shit it was you!!”

Oikawa cocked his head. “Well who’d you expect? Michelle Obama?”

Hinata sneered. “At least Michelle would have the decency to admit what she did!! You spread that rumor, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Oikawa stood up.

“I don’t know. You-” Hinata froze. “Oh.” He looked up at a flustered Oikawa. He had been in a pissy mood the entire night of the party. “I get it now. You’re jealous. You like Kageyama.”

“What?” Oikawa snorted. “THAT’S where your sick little mind jumps to? Come on, give me a little more credit than that!”

“Well.” Hinata started to stand, slowly, listing from side to side. He was quite drunk by now. “I don’t want to think that you’re such a shitty guy, you’d do this just to mess with our team. Because I realize now, you’re not just some shitty guy, you…” Hinata clenched his fists. “You’re pathetic.”

Oikawa squared off and narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Really.” Hinata chuckled coldly. “I feel bad for you. You have all these girls hanging off of you and you’re not interested in any of them. You’re never alone… But you’re always lonely. I can see it.” Hinata’s fiery eyes met with Oikawa’s.

He was doing it again. Hinata was doing that weirdly intense thing he always did when he was really fired up. It freaked people out. He could see that too.

“That’s it, chibi-chan!” Oikawa charged forward, pinning Hinata by his collar to a tree. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are talking to, but you know NOTHING about me.” Oikawa pushed back and turned away in attempt to collect himself. “And while I’m at it,” He turned back. “You know nothing about Tobio too. You think that clueless oaf gives a shit about you? You’d do well to stay out of his way. He’s fucking heartless.”

Hinata righted himself and smirked. “I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”

Oikawa turned and walked away before giving a short pause. “Next chance you get? Ask him about his girlfriend.” Oikawa chuckled.

Hinata staggered over to the path.  _ I need to get out of here.  _ He had too many feelings he knew he couldn’t keep in the more he drank.  _ I need to either stop drinking, or leave.  _ Getting drunk alone was actually not such a foreign concept to Hinata. Being alone with his thoughts was worse.

“Hey.” Kageyama trotted over to where Hinata had already begun the process of wandering home. “Where you going?”

“Home.” Said Hinata flatly.

“Are you okay?” Asked Kageyama.

Hinata clenched his fists again. “I’m fine. Just-” Kageyama cocked his head. “Don’t look at me like that!” He turned away.

“Like what?” Kageyama raised an eyebrow.

“Like you’re studying me. I can’t stand it when you look at me. It’s like…” Hinata thought back to Tanaka’s words about feeling nervous and stupid. He certainly felt nervous, but the stupidity was replaced with anger and he didn’t know why. “It’s like you’re the one person who has seen me at my best. I just don’t want you to see the real me yet.”  _ God I’m such a jerk. _

Kageyama cocked his head. “The real you.” He laughed. “You mean you don’t want me to think less of you because you like to drink? I’m not judging you. I’m doing it too, you know.”

“Not like me…” Hinata whispered. He thought back to the nights he had to clean up after his mom when she came home drunk and sick.  _ God I wish this didn’t feel so good.  _ There was a certain number of drinks he found could turn off his thoughts, but he was past that.

“What do you mean?” Kageyama had his hands in his pockets and appeared relaxed.

Hinata felt like he was going to vomit. “I just can’t help but think of those nights when my mom would come home drunk and I’d have to take care of her. I’d tuck her in. Like I was the parent. I don’t ever want to put someone in that position…”

Kageyama stopped walking. “Hinata.” He furrowed his brow a moment. “That’s just what you do when you care about someone… dumbass.” He shook his head and kept walking. “You’re overthinking it. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Hinata was still stopped head in his tracks. He watched Kageyama pass by, dumbfounded. 

“And for the record.” He looked back. “I don’t actually care what anyone thinks. Makes no difference to me.” He shrugged. “I don’t know where that rumor came from and I don’t care. I’m not going to stop being you team mate or your friend because of it. We’ve worked too hard for this."

Hinata felt a sting of acid in his throat and his mouth filled with saliva.  _ Shit. I’m gonna barf.  _ He doubled over by a bush and heaved.

“Come on.” Kageyama put an arm around Hinata and helped his friend to his feet. 

“I’m fine!” Hinata pushed Kageyama away. “I can-” He stumbled into the path and nearly collapsed. That’s when it hit him.  _ Shit. I fucked up. _

Before he realized what was going on, the world shifted. Kageyama had thrown Hinata over his shoulder and was carrying him home. He watched Kageyama’s heels as the dirt path turned to pavement, the only indication of where he was.  _ Who trusts someone 100% like that?  _ Hinata thought back to Kageyama’s words the first time they pulled off the god-like quick. 

“I think… I think I fucked up.” Hinata felt tears roll down the crook of his nose and watched them hit the pavement.

“Dumbass. You’ll be fine. You’re with me. You’re invincible, remember?”

“Hey, um.” Hinata felt Kageyama’s arms gently lowering him down to the curb. “Your house is right around the corner. Are your parents home?”

“Yeah.” Hinata clutched his sides. “It’s okay though. My mum’s fast asleep. She’s probably drunk too.”

“So um.” Kageyama paused for what felt like an hour. “Would it be okay if I told my parents I was staying at your house? I’m actually pretty drunk too and…”

Hinata knew Kageyama had strict parents. He was risking a lot.  _ He didn’t come out here just for my sake, did he? _

“Oh.” The realization took a second to hit Hinata. “Of course. I have a futon in my room. You can stay with me.”

 

“Shh. Wait.” Hinata giggled as the two drunk boys groped through the kitchen in darkness. “I think there’s some gatorade in the fridge.”  _ Thanks for the suggestion, Kenma. This shit is a godsend. _

The light of the fridge gave the boys a moment to inspect their surroundings. The kitchen was a mess. Dishes were piled in the sink and there were papers and letters stacked up on the kitchen table.

Hinata lead Kageyama to his bedroom, fully conscious of the fact that he had never had a single friend sleep over before. 

Hinata’s room was in stark contrast to the rest of the house. To Kageyama’s surprise, everything was neatly organized. It was the only room in the house not filled to the brim with clutter and nonsense. It was his sanctuary.

Hinata moved through space like a feather falling to the ground. His body swayed to the floor as he reached for the futon under his bed. He had sleepily set it up for his little sister on many occasions. It was muscle memory.

Kageyama flopped down on the futon and grabbed a pillow. “Your room is so neat.”

“You sound surprised.”

“No it’s just…”

“My parents are divorced by the way. My mom’s busy. She doesn’t have time to clean or money for a housekeeper.” He rattled off the usual excuses.

“It’s okay.” Kageyama giggled nervously. “Hey um… Where’s your bathroom?”

“Oh- right across the hall. Door’s open.”

Hinata changed into his pajamas as Kageyama stumbled to the bathroom. Fumbling with his clothes took longer than he had imagined, and Kageyama had returned before Hinata had quite figured out how to master a t-shirt. It was stuck on his arms above his head.  _ Shit, this is Natsu’s... _

“Hah.” Kageyama stifled a laugh. “Come here, dumbass.”

Before he knew it, Hinata felt Kageyama’s cold hands on his elbows, grasping the fabric and running it down his sides. Hinata felt a strange pressure in his stomach as he looked at Kageyama’s hands.  _ He’s like way stronger than me. Like, strong enough to pick me up and carry me like it’s nothing.  _ He suddenly felt as if he had swallowed a bowling ball.

“Ugh. Bathroom.” He exaggerated his need to pee in hopes to extract himself from the situation.

_Here I am drinking from the sink again._ Thought Hinata as he eagerly drank from his cupped hands. He splashed his face and looked at himself in the mirror. _I look so much like my mum-_ He took a moment to sit on the closed toilet seat and dry his tears after forcing out the last of them. _Why am I crying? Dumbass…._ Hinata decided he officially did not like being this drunk. _I fucked up._ He looked up through bleary eyes and a mind that could barely think.

Stumbling back into his room, he tripped on the edge of the futon on the floor. “Oops.” He giggled and fell in slow motion on to the soft surface.  _ Warm.  _ Kageyama was warm. He grabbed onto his waist like a teddy bear and gave his friend a squeeze. “Thank you.” He said softly.

Kageyama scoffed. “You don’t have to thank me. I would never survive showing up drunk at home. No way.”

“Hm. At least someone cares enough about you to notice. You’re actually kind of lucky...” Hinata was suddenly very aware of Kageyama’s heartbeat. He had never been this close to another person before. “Hey Kageyama.” He said pensively. “Do we um. Do we just like to snuggle when we’re drunk? That’s not weird, is it? Whatever rumors were floating around didn’t just arise out of nowhere. They couldn’t be completely baseless. We were kind of doing this.”

Hinata could practically feel Kageyama rolling his eyes. “What do you mean we? You the one who keeps crashing right next to me.” Kageyama shifted his body away from Hinata. 

“Uh oh!” Hinata raised himself up on to his elbows. “Is there some non-consensual snuggling going on right now? Is that what I’m doing?” He giggled. “Oh no! I’m a snuggle thief!” Hinata covered his face and feigned horror.

“Shh!” Kageyama chuckled, shoving Hinata off the futon. “Be quiet, you’re going to wake up the whole neighborhood you idiot!” Kageyama tried to act angry, but couldn’t hide his bleary-eyed smile.

“Sorry.” Whispered Hinata. He took the hint sat up to climb up on to his own bed.  _ Why do I keep doing that? I’m such a creep.  _ Before he could pull himself up, Kageyama turned grabbed the hem of Hinata’s shirt.

“It’s okay.” Whispered Kageyama. “I mean um. You can sleep down here with me if you want to. I let my cat share the bed with me sometimes and you’re not much bigger than her.”

“Shut up.” Hinata giggled. “Dumbass.” He sighed and nestled his face into Kageyama’s shoulder.

Hinata felt weak and nauseous. Like his entire body was infected. Somehow having Kageyama close by, hearing his heartbeat was soothing. It was like as long as Kageyama was around, he was safe. Whatever happened, he was not alone. He wouldn’t go so far as to say invincible, but he did feel something...  _ Warm. _

 

“Hey, um.” Hinata worked up the courage and broke the silence. “Just one more thing I um… Do you have a girlfriend?”

No response. Too little too late. Kageyama was out cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS for any readers under 21:
> 
> I try not to let my personal experience with substance abuse creep into my writing so much, but seriously guys, if you're underage don't drink or smoke - My understanding of this subject matter is not something I'm proud of.


	3. Sherlock Homo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> https://media2.giphy.com/media/XwLsNQ2kUhEic/200_s.gif

 

“Hit a homer, Hinata!” Shouted Tanaka. The team was ending practice by having everyone serve and the rest of the team critique them.

The group readied themselves as Hinata practiced his serve. Ukai’s whistle surprised him yet again, and again he struggled to get his bearings. It didn’t help that Kageyama was looking right at him from the other side of the net.

Hinata knew as soon as he swung he was not going to hit anything close to an acceptable serve. In fact, the ball bounced off the wall and hit Kageyama right in the back of the head.

Tsukishima chuckled. “He said to hit a homer, not a homo.” He whispered.

Luckily, the already steamed Kageyama did not hear this comment.

“Jesus fucking christ Hinata, let me show you how it’s done!” Shouted Kageyama before readying himself for a jump serve.

“Hey! Language!” Shouted Ukai as Kageyama smashed the ball onto the floor inches from a stunned Hinata’s foot. Ukai whistled. “Get over here.”

Kageyama approached the coach wordlessly and bowed.

“First of all, wait your god damn turn, second of all, watch your god damn mouth!” Ukai sighed. “Third of all, when the hell did you learn to serve like that? That was practically a spike!” He smiled.

Kageyama shrugged.

“Well whatever you’re doing, keep it up.” Ukai patted Kageyama on the shoulder and sent him back on to the court. “Well then.” He addressed the room. Doesn’t look like Kageyama needs any critiques right now. So let’s talk about Hinata. What did he do wrong?”

“He panicked.” Said Yamaguchi. “You have eight seconds after the whistle blows, so take your sweet ass time.”

“Like everything else in life, a good serve is 99% confidence.” Said Tanaka.

“Right.” Said Hinata as he dutifully bowed to his team mates. He spent the last moments of practice with a huge knot in his stomach. _Maybe he really doesn’t like me. But why wouldn’t he tell me about his girlfriend? Wouldn’t you think he’s brag about that sort of thing? Maybe he just doesn’t want the guys embarrassing him or something… Well whoever she is, they’re obviously not “facebook official” or anything._

After practice, Kageyama and the others were on their way back to the club room when Hinata pulled Kageyama aside.

“Toss to me.” Was all he said.

Kageyama blinked. “Again? Why now?”

“I want to see how we do when the pressure of everyone watching isn’t there.”

Kageyama shrugged. Made sense. “Okay.”

Hinata flicked the lights back on in the gym and got the balls out.

The light must have peaked Yachi’s interest because she came peering into the doorway. “What are you guys doing?”

“Oh, Yachi. Toss us a few balls, would you?” Asked Hinata with a smile.

“Me? Toss? I don’t know how.” She blushed.

“It’s easy, just toss it up above Kageyama’s head, like this.” Hinata showed her how to toss.

“Oh. I see. You guys want to practice your quick. Okay!” She smiled.

Miss.

Miss.

Missed again.

 _He keeps getting distracted._ Kageyama couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Hinata, but he kept trying.

“One more!” Hinata was dripping in sweat.

Kageyama clenched his jaw. “Why do you need to keep worrying about this one stupid attack? I told you, this isn’t how volleyball works. You should be working on your recieves.”

Hinata clenched his fists. “If I can’t do this, there’s no point of me even being on the court at all. This quick is the only thing keeping me useful as a starter.”

“Then maybe you aren’t useful as a starter!” Kageyama growled. “Just face the reality and move on to what you can fix.” Forgetting himself, Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the collar. “Why do you need to obsess over this one stupid play? You’re completely screwing up the entire team’s balance!” For a moment, Kageyama forgot how much smaller Hinata was, and shoved him with enough force to actually knock him down to the floor.

“Hey now. Just step back and-” Yachi’s meek voice attempted to cut in.

Hinata looked up, enraged.

 _Shit. I didn’t actually mean to do that._ “I wasn’t lying when I said I’d toss to whoever was essential to winning. I’m not going to give you special treatment because we’re friends.”

 _Jesus christ, he is heartless._ “You fucking jerk!” Hinata sprang up and charged at Kageyama as a terrified Yachi ran out of the room. In his attempt to shove Kageyama, Hinata actually placed himself in the perfect position to be placed in a headlock. “Why are you only nice to me when we’re alone? It’s like you become a completely different person in front of people!” He choked out.

“Why do you think, dumbass?” Kageyama huffed back. “You think I like being treated like shit at school??”

“I don’t like it either!” Hinata broke free and exhaled sharply. “But It’d be easier to put up with if you weren’t doing it too! I thought I at least had one person on my side!” He stormed forward and shoved Kageyama. “All I want is the chance to stand on the court with you! You’re supposed to be the one person who doesn't push me around, the one person I can trust. You aren’t even honest with me!”

“What? When have I ever lied to you??” Kageyama sputterd.  _He's making it sound like we're dating or something._

“Um hello? You never told me you had a girlfriend!” Hinata gritted his teeth.

“WHAT?? God you’re fucking stupid!” Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the shirt again, this time, pinning him to the wall. The sudden closeness sent a wave of heat down his entire body.

Hinata narrowed his eyes and moved closer to Kageyama. Every time they slept together, he made a point of turning his body in such a way that his hips were turned away from Hinata. Now, they were squarely in front of each other, and Hinata noticed something.

There was no hiding it. Kageyama’s face became bright red. Just as he was about to let go and run away in embarrassment, Hinata grabbed a handful of Kageyama’s hair on the back of his head and pulled him down to his level.

Having never kissed anyone before, Hinata wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing. He just pressed his lips against Kageyama’s until he gave in and let Hinata’s tongue into his mouth.

“They’re in the gym!” Yachi followed a sprinting Tanaka towards the gym.

“Those idiots!” He snarled to himself before stopping dead in his tracks at the door.

“What?” Yachi huffed and doubled forward at the door. Looking up, she could see that Kageyama had pinned Hinata to the wall, and they weren’t doing what she thought they were at first. “Oh my god, they’re kissing?” She whispered.

Tanaka said nothing. He slowly backed away in hopes they wouldn’t be noticed. He brought a finger to his lips and continued to back up until they were both out of sight. Once they were away from the door, Tanaka spoke very quietly. “Just leave them. It was only a matter of time before this happened. Just pretend you never saw anything.” He darted his eyes around before grabbing his chin in thought. “You know, this might actually be a good thing…”

“What are you guys doing out here?” Daichi’s voice came from around the corner of the building, making both Yachi and Tanaka jump. “You guys aren’t supposed to be out here still. Why is the light still on in the gym?” He continued past Tanaka and Yachi towards the door.

“No, wait!” Yachi attempted to stop Daichi from entering the gym. For all she knew, Hinata and Kageyama were still in there making out.

Tanaka’s eyes darted to a stray ball on the ground. He quickly picked it up and chucked it into the gym, hoping to make enough noise to warn them.

 

Eventually, Kageyama broke the kiss and pulled away. Slowly. His hand had wandered up hinata’s neck and into his hair. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to look behind him. He just wanted to enjoy this moment for a second more as the warm cathartic feeling was replaced with cold, paralyzing fear. 

They heard a noise. It was the familiar sound of a ball smacking into the floor.

Hinata let out a long, shaking breath without opening his eyes. He was partially scared of who may have seen them, but mostly just terrified from the kiss that still resonated in his head like a gong.

Daichi backed away from being nearly hit with the ball Tanaka hurled. “What was that?”

Tanaka shrugged.

Daichi shook his head and continued into the gym. “Go home.” He stood with his hand on his hips while Kageyama and Hinata were nonchalantly gathering balls. “I’m glad you want to keep practicing, but you need your rest. Don’t push yourselves.”

“Right!” Kageyama and Hinata called out in unison and bowed, hiding their flushed faces.

Daichi narrowed his eyes and looked around. “Okay then… Good night.” He turned and walked away with the distinct feeling he had missed something.

 

The boys stood in silence and confusion, still bent over towards where Daichi was.

Then, Kageyama did something Hinata never expected. He started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Hinata growled and looked over.

“You. I don’t have a girlfriend. Who told you that, Oikawa?” Kageyama righted himself.

Hinata righted himself as well, letting the blood settle from his face. “Oh.”

“What?” Kageyama was taken back by Hinata’s suddenly serious face.

“I guess that makes sense. Oikawa likes you, so he probably just said all that to get between us.”

“So he really told you that?” Kageyama put his hands on his hips and sighed. “I didn’t want to believe he would actually go so far as to say something like that to you… I’m sorry.” He looked down in silent thought for a moment. “Wait, how do you know Oikawa liked me?”

Hinata giggled. “It’s kind of obvious. He called you heartless. You don’t say something like that about someone you don’t have feelings for.”

“He really said that…?” Kageyama looked forlorn.

“What happened between you guys anyway? Did you used to date or something?” Hinata asked hesitantly.

“What? No!” Kageyama waved defensively. “Absolutely not. We just practiced together for a bit, that’s all!”

“So that’s how you learned to serve like that. Not gonna lie, I was feeling a little jealous thinking about you spending all that time with him…” Hinata blushed.

Kageyama chuckled and pulled Hinata into a hug, placing his hand gently on the shorter boy’s head.

Hinata began to giggle uncontrollably. “You still kinda have a boner, Tobio.” The height difference made that pretty clear.

At this, Kageyama went into all-out freak-out mode. “What? Oh my god, stop! It’s not my fault dumbass!” The angrier he got, the harder Hinata laughed. “And why are you suddenly calling me that?!”

Hinata enjoyed pissing off Kageyama. It was kind of their thing. It was too cute to see him get flustered like that. “Okay, okay. Let’s just get this place cleaned up.” Hinata settled himself.

They finished closing up the gym in silence.

“It was probably Yachi who tossed that ball. She probably did it to warn us Daichi was coming. She must have run off thinking we were going to tear each other's eyes out, then seen us… I had no idea she had such an arm on her.” Said Hinata.

“No shit.” Kageyama scoffed. “Sherlock homo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter's a little lame. I know "head-hopping" is supposed to be a bad thing, but fuck it, it's a fanfic. It was a lot of fun to write =D
> 
> I'm undecided if I should finish this or not. There's a lot of other stuff I want to expand on in this too, but I don't want to beat a dead horse either. There's some unresolved Kuroo/Kenma stuff as well as a few loose ends with Oikawa. Not to mention Hinata's weird trust issues... idk
> 
> Comment if you want me to continue or not please! =)


End file.
